Let it Snow..

Hello in blog land! Hope everyone is nice and toasty..here in the (not) so warm south I am freezing. ..and before you go and say that I don't know what cold is..I can assure you..I DO. I grew up in the deep north-western mountains of NC..the area referred to as Appalachia..I grew up in snow, ice..and freezing rain. So yes, I am familiar with cold, trust me. I live on the SC coast now, and that ocean wind is a menace in the winter..and rain. Sometimes I think we moved to Seattle and no one told me. LOL..

So today I have a mini canvas..6x6 to share..and once again it is from my phone instead of my camera because for some unknown reason the computer isn't reading the sd card..always tech issues here..gotta get the hubs to fix that this weekend..( OR just buy a new CORD like I wanted to Weeks ago :))

I put it on my mantle so I could get a better pic of it when I realized I couldn't upload from my camera. This is pretty simple actually..I mod podged a piece of book paper that I printed on to cheap copy paper..then went to town with acrylic pain and other printed papers for the hat and scarf and start. Then I used a pitt pen to do the shading..oh and used some metallic paint for the star... I cut out some paper for the sign..modpodged those....then took some wintry stamps and black ink and textured it. It seemed a little dark to me, so I went back into it with a white pen for some more detail work. I edged the whole thing with a black archival ink pad..and called it good. I am pretty happy with it..I am going to display it on my mantel for the season..and then pack it away with my holiday decorations.

Do you make your own holiday decor? If so..I would love to see some of it.

Well that's it for me folks...I have some cleaning to get done..oh and some grocery shopping to do..story of my life with all these kids LOL..

have an awesome day..see ya soon!

Girl with a Bird

Very original title huh?
So I have been promising pics.and I do have some..but they are not good. It seems I took all of these with my phone.NOT my camera. I have no idea why I did that..but I will try to get a good one of the piece later when it isn't raining..but for now..this is all I have. Sorry about that.



First I want to give credit to the inspiration for this piece I did to Junell Jacobson. I can't find this piece on her blog but I pinned it on pintrest. I belive it is from a class she taught? If you find the original post anywhere in your lurking please le tme know and I will credit it. Here is a link to my pin.. I fell in LOVE with this when I first saw it..Hers blows mine out of the water but I so enjoyed making it!

Ok..on with the post...

 

 

Ok..to start off this was a fairly large old shelf board I found out in the garage. I knew it would make a great surface for something..so I started playing. I think the "playing" mindset is why I just took the pics with my phone..didn't know how it was going to turn out LOL.
So to start, I mod podged very rough watercolor paper to the board...I had to use a bit if Aleenes's tacky glue to help too. Then I started painting with acrylics and then stamped random text and back ground in Versafine then dipped a finger dauber in white paint and made the big dots you see in the back ground. Next I took a water soluble pencil and drew the girl and the birds nest. Now this board is pretty large and was kind of intimidating to be honest. I think I probably should have started of with a smaller canvas..but too late now.

NOW, and I am sure this isn't shocking to you, I don't have any "process pictures" . I know I did when I did the mermaid ( if she is still on here? I may have deleted her when I deleted the other posts?) but I got so wrapped up doing this, I didn't take pics. Sorry again..I will do better next time..promise!

 

 

 

 

 

And here is the top half of this huge piece. She is full of paint and rub ones and inks. I did the body in acrylics with some fine details using a Pitt sepia pen ( fine tip). I did some stenciling and major scribbling with Black Pitt pens on the nest. I stamped that bird silhouette in Black Archival ink..I use rub ons for the details on her shirt. Not sure if you can see but she has a tattoo on her upper arm..you can see it better in person. That was my rebel side coming out HA!

 

 

Now for the skirt..OMG that was fun..tedious and time consuming for sure..but oh so fun.

 

 

 

 

The entire thing is made up of doilies that were sponged and stamped...then rolled up. I secure the ends with some tacky glue then adhered them with a little stripe of the glue too. I think that whole process took me a couple of hours. I really wanted a funky vibe to her skirt..almost a Spanish feel.And I LOVE the texture the doilies give.

 

 

 

Now, here is a ( horrible) pic of the whole thing..( I promise to come back and update with better pics)

 

 

 

 

 

ignore the mess :)

 

So there you have it..one thing I have been working on. Soccer Season is over for the small peoples so I have a few days a week where I don't have to go out . I was really sick the past couple of weeks so I didn't get a whole lot done to be honest. This season change here has done a number on my sinuses. And ya gotta LOVE a nice fall cold huh? I have just been working in my sketch book while the family watches tv in the evenings . I have been trying to get a good deal more rest..I get run down pretty quickly and if I am sick..well this house gets turned upside down in a matter of days..people get hungry and start to revolt and well there are more of them  than there are of  are of me LOL.

 

I am working in my studio today..it is horrifically nasty and cluttered and driving me batty. A couple of the kids *needed* my *stuff* for school projects this weekend and holy world..They cleaned up but they aren't always great about putting things back where they got them..:)

Have a great rest of your day!

Tell-all Thursday

Yes, I know it is supposed to be "thirsty Thursday" but we aren't really drinkers..so I will just tell all LOL.
In the past when this was primarily a card making blog I tried to steer away from getting too personal, but now that I am sharing art, I think if you know a little more about "ME" you can know a little more about my art. At least that is what I notice when I read blogs. So while this probably won't be a weekly feature, I will try to make it a regular one. I am going to tell 10 random things about me, then link you to some of my favorite products. Hope you enjoy.

1) I detest tomatoes. I have never eaten one. ever. I don't eat ketchup either. I love Italian food as long as it is sauce and no chunks of tomatoes.ewwwww. One of my worst fears is the Zombie Apocalypse happening and tomatoes being the only thing left to eat. I think I might die.

2) I have arachnophobia. Yes folks, I have a deathly fear of spiders. Now, I can kill those little ones, but after they get as big as a nickle..well..that requires some assistance. In this house when I scream every child comes running with a shoe :) Well trained they are.

3)I love to cook. Now mind you I loved it more when I didn't have to do it for 6 people.

4) I have Alopecia. My first episode of it was about 6 years ago..and it was so bad I had to by a wig and wear it for several months. Subsequent episodes haven't been that bad. I wear my hair very long in order to conceal the bald spots when I get them.

5) I am very shy about sharing my art with people, never really thought I was all that great.

6) I am blind as a BAT. Literally. I have worn glasses since I was 3. I am 37. I was touted as being "clumsy" until I centered a door nob and someone finally thought "Hmm maybe she can't see". I have super- sonic- see- the- future glasses. I have contacts..got them when I was 13, but as I have gotten older I have learned to embrace my glasses. Ok that isn't true..they just became popular so I went with it ,with cool retro looking frames.

7) I am well versed in sarcasm. Unfortunately so are my children ;)

8) I can't sing. at all. But to the dismay of my family I LOVE to sing. And dance. But I can't dance. This woman has no rhythm. period. But I love to bust a move.

9) I drink a lot of Diet Coke. A LOT people.

10) I adore my husband beyond belief. He is perfect for me. Smart, funny..geeky..and so supportive of everything I want to do.





OK..now that you know way more about me than you ever wanted to, I will link you to a few of my favorite things.

1) Prismacolor Colored Pencils These are my faves. And yes, I think at some point I have tried them all. Now there has been some concern over the last few years about breakage in the "new" line since Sanford moved their company to Mexico, but honestly I haven't noticed anything different. All pencils can get damaged in transit. Trust me. I had a new unopened box that my oldest dropped a few years ago..I ended up using those in pieces..and giving them to my dd. I however have also heard that if you have faulty pencils, Sanford will gladly replace them.

2) Stonehenge Drawing Paper. Yep, it's a bit pricey, but Oh so worth it. My other faves after this one, are

3) Strathmore Bristol or Vellum. These are the smoothest papers ever..great if you like to get fine detail. Now if you want a "toothy paper" any Canson or Strathmore is good.

4)Derwent Watercolor Pencils. These are awesome. You can shave a little of the color off , add water, and you have some liquid watercolor to work with. I have tried a couple of brands..have a couple more to try though, but so far, I like these.

5) Derwent Inktense pencils LOVE. First though, these are NOT like regular watercolors. They are "stick forms of ink"..INK. These do not blend like watercolors..they are permanent. Meaning, you can't "lift" the color out. Once they are down, they are down. Forever. They are Delicious and vibrant and awesome. But, they take a while to get used to ..trust me.

6)Drawing Inks..These ,these,  these and these. OK..I LOVE love love INKS. But..if you use Inks like this make sure you find out if they are water soluble or water resistant, That makes a HUGE difference in the way you use them.


7) Charcoal..I like to use Charcoal pencils to sketch with. I like these, and these ( although I am not sure if they are straight charcoal or not..they are Carbon Pencils)

8)Other pencils..Creatacolor. This company offers several different types  of pecnils..and I adore all of them.They have a wonderful woodless line..love.

9) Workable Fixative. I love this stuff. I have used it for years..many different brands ..they are all pretty much the same really. Some are better suited for certain mediums or surfaces so just pick what suits you best.( oh and don't use in your house, spray outside :)  What I like to use it for in Mixed media or even for painting..is that when I use my charcoal to lay in a face or image, I can then spray it with "fix it" , let it dry, then paint over it and it won't smear. Awesome.

10) Watersoluable Pencils. There are several different brands, but these and the ones from Creatcolor are the only ones I have used personally, and I really like them. They dissolve in water( obviously, hence the name lol )..meaning you can draw with them and if you don't like it you can wet a rag and "remove" it with out using an eraser which can sometimes damage what you have painted..or your paper. TRUST ME on this. :)

11) Pens..drawing pens that is.I like waterproof ink obviously, so I like these pens and of course these. Now, with that said, the Koh-I-Noors aren't great for rough surfaces..they have a very fine, delicate nib on them and will get really messed up with rough water color paper or a really "toothy" drawing paper..and to be honest, they are VERY expensive. I have had the set I own since High School. I needed them for drafting . I have replaced the nibs on several of them a couple of times because I used them on rough paper and ruined them. So for that reason I recommend the Micron pens because they are a little more durable.


Ok Folks..that is it for my little enlightenment session today. I have a horrible cold and too much house work that gone neglected this week because of said cold. Time to put some laundry in ( ok..I am out of clean flannel jammies so I need to do laundry)

OH wait...one more MUST HAVE for me. A HEAT TOOL. I don't personally own either of these but I couldn't find the old ones I have anywhere but I assume they are all pretty much the same. I own 2..one on each desk. I use them all the time. I am a slightly impatient person when it comes to things drying, so these tools are wonderful for drying watercolors, paints..inks..etc..If you don't have one, you really should get one.

Hopefully I will be back soon with actual pictures to show you some of my recent work..hubby needs to work on the old computer first..

Until next time peeps.

Changes....and new beginnings...

Hello fellow peeps!
I know, I know..you thought I was gonna be back soon didn't ya? And I had every good intention of doing that..but just couldn't make it happen. You see, a few years ago I went through a really rough time and something got lost along the way. ME. Who I am  and what I do..somehow disappeared. I have tried very hard to put all the pieces back together but what I have found, is , that you can't do that and make them whole. There will always be vacant crevices and cracks..that is where the real you lies. In the crooks and crannies of everyday life.
I tried to fill a huge gaping void with stamping and card making . I couldn't do it. Now, before I continue and offend someone ;), I will say that I have met some of the most talented women ever, through the stamping/card making community. Their eye for design and colors is unmatched. And I know a lot of artists myself included , that can learn a thing or two from a good stamper. I did. I learned a great deal from this wonderful community. I now apply it to my art work in general. I learned about products i never knew could be so much fun to work with..and how to use good old stand-by's for different purposes. That being said....

I never fully felt like I fit in anywhere. That has been the story of my life though LOL.The other day I found an old shelf  board and started playing with it..Mod Podging papers and painting..and distressing and inking..and well just making something pretty. I haven't had that much fun in a LONG time my Friends. There was no stipulations on it..no parameters to go by..no one needing me to do a post about it..just what I wanted to do in my own time. And it felt awesome. As a matter of fact, I booked my first in a  long time, class from that one piece. Some one asked to see it, and then asked if I could do a class for her and some friends..and there ya go. My first class in forever. I used to LOVE to teach art. I am not a teacher..that wasn't my degree but I do know enough to teach it.( or at least muddle my way through HAHA)

So that is where I am headed now. I have some very exciting things in the works over the next couple of months..( like videos and tutorials and on-line classes..and selling MY art.. Selling MY art for the first time in a LONG time :) I can't tell you how happy that has made me.

Oh yes, if you have any kind of medium or material ( colored pencils, pastels..water colors ..etc) that you would enjoy a tutorial on..please let me know. I have all of that and more. Just don't ask for oil pastels or oil paints. Those two things are not my forte' LOL.

I cleaned and reorganized my studio the other day ( ok..the other 2 days that it took :)Yeah , it was that bad. I am selling of A LOT of crafting stuff. Markers..card stock,..stamps...paper. Oh yes, a great deal of paper. I think it is time for me to reduce and reuse. I think a great deal of my problem was feeling so over whelmed by all that *stuff*. What paper do I use? That one? This one? and before long you have the whole floor covered with paper and so many choices you just say "eh..forget it" ..or at least I did.

I will continue to purge and sell stuff. If you have something you are interested in , leave me a comment and I will see what I can do to hook you up .

So for now, I am leaving you with the thoughts that when I return , this little ol' blog o mine will look different and feel different . It will have a piece of me in it..:)

Please check back soon..
For now, I am going to go TRY to figure out how to change stuff on this little corner of the web..technology is beast I tell ya..if anyone can or will help a girl out, there could be something great in it for ya ;)

Thanks for showing up..

joining the bloggers

So I have finally joined blog land. I have fought it every step of the way. Now please don't misunderstand. I LOVE blogs. I read them, stalk them, lurk....I just never really thought I was interesting enough to have one. Friends have encouraged me to start one..but I didn't want to. However , I have been wanting to enter the crazy world of papercrafters so that meant ..A blog. Thus here I am. I hope to have lots of things to post , make some friends, learn a few things...maybe even teach a bit on the way. Thanks for stopping by and hope you come again ...